


All That Glitters

by Marlon



Series: Oops, I Summoned a Demon [4]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage the Warbringer - Freeform, Established Relationship, M/M, Oops I Summoned a Demon, Romance, bath bombs, taking care of each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 06:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14014593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marlon/pseuds/Marlon
Summary: Armitage comes home to find Kylo waiting with a surprise for him, or, Armitage discovers the joys of Lush bath bombs.





	All That Glitters

The front door opens and closes with a soft click, signaling Armitage’s return. Kylo saves his chapter notes and is pushing himself to his feet when he hears the low thrum of Armitage’s voice echoing from the foyer.

" _Salve Jane Patulci._ ” Kylo hears a rustle of fabric, as Armitage removes his gambeson and boots. “ _Tibi gratias ago quod in me absentia meam vigilasti et ab injuria protexsti. Gratias tibi ago._ ”

Kylo wisely decides to thump back into his seat, not wanting to intrude on Armitage as he goes about his little rituals. Armitage prowls into the darkened parlour, fingertips already aglow. With a smile on his face, Kylo rests his chin on his hand as he watches Armitage in an unguarded moment. It never feels quite real, Kylo muses as he watches Armitage slink toward the hearth, that this should be his life. He loves all the small ways Armitage reveals himself to Kylo every day.

Armitage murmurs something quietly to himself then flicks his glowing fingers towards the hearth. With a loud pop and crackle, a brightly burning fire bursts into existence in the grate. With a casual wave over his shoulder, Armitage slides the fan-shaped fireplace screen into place as he turns towards the kitchen. His eyes light up when he sees Kylo sitting at the table.

“ _Ave_ , little one, are you well?” His voice is soft and husky and his eyes glint mischievously. Kylo shivers. “How was your day?”

“It was good. Busy.” Kylo grins as Armitage tries to worm himself onto Kylo’s lap but the chair is too small and he slides off with a pout. “How was the apothecary? Were you and Rey run off your feet?”

“Oh.” The gleam in Armitage’s golden eyes dims for a moment. “Yes, it was quite busy.” He looks down at the table, sliding his hand forward to tangle with Kylo’s. “I worry about the people of Londinium, beloved, they seem so unwell and yet do not know which botanicals will heal them or how to pray to the gods.”

Kylo rises to his feet to gather Armitage into his arms. The demon melts into his embrace with a soft purr, pressing his face into Kylo’s neck. Kylo slips his hand under Armitage’s chin to tip his face up to meet his eye.

“Well, babe, that’s why they have you and Rey to help them.”

Armitage looks thoughtfully up at Kylo’s face, then nods. Kylo presses a tiny kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“Yes, perhaps you are right, little one, this is my calling now.”

“Maybe think of it as an extension of your oath to keep this city safe.” Kylo brushes Armitage’s hair out of his eyes, tucking it behind his ear. “You’re just going about it in a different way now, a less murdery way.”

Armitage hisses a laugh as he nestles closer, good mood restored.

“How was your day, little one, do your students still ask about me?”

Kylo snorts. “They talk about little else. You’d think one of the Royals visited the philosophy department that day.”

“It’s no more than my due.” Armitage looks smug as he leans in for another kiss.

“At the risk of inflating your ego further, I have a present for you.”

Kylo leans away from Armitage and snags the handles of a small black paper shopping bag that is sitting beside his laptop. He presents the bag to Armitage, who takes it with a regal nod of thanks. Armitage carefully removes three colourful balls from the bag and sets them on the table. He picks up the pinkish-purple one that smells heavily of jasmine, then he tries the blue and yellow ball of bergamot and lemon, and lastly, he sniffs at the glittering gold ball that smells like honey and toffee. He picks up the blue and yellow ball again.

“Are these candies, little one?”

He raises it to his lips to take a small sample bite but Kylo quickly intercepts his hand.

“No!” He gently takes the ball from Armitage’s hands, rubbing his fingers over the slightly chalky surface, he brings it up to his own nose and inhales deeply. He always did like the smell of bergamot. “This is a bath bomb. You place it in the bathtub and it gets all melty and makes the water cool colours. They’re supposed to be relaxing.”

“Oh.” Armitage perks up as he regards the colourful array of bath bombs with interest. “Can we try them now?” He holds out the glittery gold bomb. “This one first.”

Kylo laughs as he puts the other two colourful bath bombs back into the bag. “Of course, I’ll go start the bath, you get ready.”

Armitage flees down the hallway in a storm of discarded clothing and flash of gold, the lights flicker and the windows rattle as Armitage purrs and hisses excitedly to himself in their room. Kylo spares a worried thought for the poor windows in their dry, delicate wooden frames, one day they’re sure to rattle right out of the wall, he thinks as he follows Armitage’s path at a more human pace.

In the white-tiled bathroom, Kylo sets the bag on the cluttered counter and perches himself on the edge of the wide, claw-footed bathtub. He pushes the clear, plastic shower curtain out of the way as he reaches for the silver taps. Opening them, he lets the water cascade over his hand for a second, waiting for it to heat up to an appropriate temperature. He pushes the stopper into the drain and sits back, watching the hypnotic spill and swirl of the water in the tub. Steam gently rises from the water, curling the little wisps of hair that have escaped his topknot.

“Kylo.”

Kylo turns, his mouth going dry. Armitage is standing in the doorway, beautifully backlit from the light of the hallway, wearing nothing but his wedding ring. He fills the doorway, standing with his shoulders back, posture proper and royal, gleaming in the low light. 

“God, Armitage,” Kylo whispers, “you’re so beautiful.”

Armitage prowls toward Kylo, his gold-dusted skin catching the light as he moves. He shakes his fiery hair out of his eyes as he sinks to his knees beside Kylo, crossing his arms over Kylo’s legs.

“Thank you, little one.” Armitage smiles softly, reaching his hand into the bath to swirl the water around.

Kylo cups Armitage’s cheek, gently brushing his thumb over his prominent cheekbone.

“How’d I get so lucky? How many things had to fall into place to make sure I was at that bookshop on that day, to find that book, to mistranslate that one passage, to bring you here.”

“Blessed, little one?” Armitage rises up on his knees to whisper against Kylo’s mouth. “Or cursed?”

“Blessed, definitely.” Kylo cups Armitage’s face tenderly and presses a kiss to his smiling mouth. “The bath is ready, do you want to throw in the bath bomb?”

Kylo leans over and closes the taps. Armitage dips his hands back into the water and Kylo watches, enchanted, as his fingertips glow and he swirls his hand through the clear water, heating it up more to his liking. The steam from the water gushes forth and little rivulets of sweat trickle down Kylo’s neck.

Armitage withdraws his hand from the water, daintly shaking off the excess droplets. He plucks the black bag from the counter and rummages through it to extract the golden, glittery bath bomb. He holds it up in front of himself.

“ _Haec aqua a corpore impuritates, simile modo velut plumbum ad aurum mutando, eluat._ ” Kylo holds his breath as he watches Armitage chant his way through his ritual, offering up thanks to the gods. “ _Purget mentem. Purget corpus. Purget animum._ ” Armitage places the bath bomb into the water and smiles as it starts to fizzle and dissolve. “ _Ita est._ ”

As the bath bomb dissolves, the room is filled with the delicious, cozy scents of toffee and honey, and the water shimmers with the golden sheen. Armitage rises to his feet and gracefully steps into the water, sighing as the warmth hits his skin. He looks over his shoulder at Kylo, eyelashes fluttering.

“Are you not joining me, little one?”

“No, no, this is a treat for you.”

Armitage hums with delight as he folds himself down into the glittery soup, the tiny gold flakes adhering themselves to his already golden skin, making him positively glimmer against the white tiles of the bathroom.

“Stay with me, tell me about your day?”

Kylo happily obliges. After fetching the step-stool from the hallway cupboard, he perches at the side of the bath, laughing at Armitage’s outrageous stories about the customers at the apothecary and trying hard not to stare as Armitage keeps lifting his long legs out of the water just to watch the golden water cascade off his limbs and back into the tub.

“You would not believe how many people come to the apothecary looking for love spells, little one.” Armitage tsks as he rests back against the sloping end of the tub, dipping his glowing fingertips into the water to heat it up for the second time. “They confuse spellcasting with healing it seems.”

“Well, I guess some people watch too much tv, babe.” Kylo slips his hand into the water to catch Armitage’s and give it a slight squeeze. “Maybe you and Rey could post some articles on the shop’s blog to, you know, help people understand the difference.”

“Hmm, perhaps.” Armitage regards Kylo though hazy, lidded eyes. He draws their joined hands to his mouth for a kiss, then he digs his thumbs into Kylo’s palm, massaging the cramped joints into relaxation after a full day spent typing and note-taking. “Tell me about your day, love.”

“Well, everyone passed their midterms so I don’t think any of the classes will have trouble with the finals but the best part is, Sloane, the department head, mentioned that there may be some funding available for me to go to Heidelberg for a few months this summer to study.” Kylo sighs as Armitage releases his hand with a kiss and starts on the other one. “Do you think Rey would mind if you took three months off from the shop?”

Armitage sits up so he can better snake his arms around Kylo’s neck and draw him in close, pressing wetly against Kylo’s chest. He tangles his delicate fingers into Kylo’s thick hair as he pulls Kylo in for a kiss.

“I think not, little one, she would not mind.” He starts to pull Kylo down into the water with him but Kylo manages to brace himself on the edge of the tub before being pulled under. “I have not been to the frontier in some time, I would be pleased to accompany you.”

“You’ve been there before?” Kylo gasps as he pushes himself back from the surface of the water, Armitage's fingers playing lightly down his neck and across his collarbones.

“Yes, little one, I helped design the fort for the Third Italian Legion stationed at Castra Regina.” He looked thoughtful for a minute. “Castra Regina is not exactly close to Lopodunum, but it was an easy march, all things considered.” 

He punctuates this statement with an airy wave of his hand, as if marching on foot from one part of the continent to the other was child’s play and Kylo supposes, that for Armitage and his legions, it was all in a day’s work.

“Alright.” Kylo snags Armitage’s wrist as he inches his glowing fingers back towards the water to reheat it yet again. “Maybe it’s time to get out, the bath is basically just an Armitage soup now.”

Armitage laughs delightedly, as if Kylo has made a very good joke, and allows Kylo to help him to his feet. The glittery water cascades off his body, leaving behind a smattering of glitter, clinging to his warm skin in the most delicious of ways. As he towels off, Kylo splashes some water around the bathtub, trying to wash off some of the excess glitter plastered to the sides and bottom of the bath.

Everything goes dark suddenly as Armitage tosses his discarded towel over Kylo’s head and dashes away to the bedroom, his laughter trailing behind him like wisps of smoke. Kylo folds the damp towel over the rim of the tub and lurches to his feet to follow Armitage.

In the bedroom, Armitage has sprawled himself out across the bed, his golden, glittery skin and his vibrant hair contrasting in a striking way with the dark navy blue bedding. He had never looked more like a living flame than he did right now. Upon seeing Kylo in the doorway, Armitage arches his back, purring, drawing his hands down his chest to his hips.

“Come to bed, love?”

It was an invitation Kylo could hardly turn down. With a soft smile, he begins shedding his clothes into a pile on the floor. Slipping into the bed, he sighs as Armitage insinuates himself into Kylo’s arms. Pressing hot, little breathy kisses up Kylo’s neck, along his jaw to his mouth, Armitage nips at Kylo’s full bottom lip then pulls back to gaze at him. His eyes bounce over Kylo’s face, from his eyes, tracing the path of his little moles and beauty marks, to his smiling mouth. A faint look of worry flits across his face.

“Blessed, little one, or cursed?” 

“Blessed definitely, Armitage, every day.”

Armitage’s smile illuminates the room as he pulls the blankets up and around them, cocooning them safely and securely in each other’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the translations for Armitage's prayers:
> 
> “Salve Jane Patulci. Tibi gratias ago quod in me absentia meam vigilasti et ab injuria protexsti. Gratias tibi ago.” -- Greetings, Janus, opener of doors! Thank you for watching over my home in my absence and keeping it safe from harm. I give you thanks!
> 
> “Haec aqua a corpore impuritates, simile modo velut plumbum ad aurum mutando, eluat. Purget mentem. Purget corpus. Purget animum. Ita est.” -- May this water cast out all impurities from my substance as from lead to gold. Purify my mind. Purify my body. Purify my spirit. So be it.
> 
> I used the following website: https://www.adf.org/rituals/roman/religio-romano.html for these prayers, my Latin is rusty since it's been over ten years since grad school so I borrowed the prayers for the purposes of this story but this website is the source.


End file.
